| Unit name | Nero |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CLASM1018 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Hales |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Nero is remembered as the worst of emperors. He has been held responsible for ushering in an age of decadence, of beginning the persecution of Christians and even setting fire to his own city. Was Nero really all that bad? He was loved by the people and the Neronian era was one of cultural florescence. This unit explores why Nero has come to be seen in this light, looking at the evidence of his own reign, the attitude of later Roman writers and his reception in the modern western world. It explores what it is to be a bad emperor, considering how Nero becomes a model for other Roman tyrants (and even villains of the 20th century) and an antitype to good emperors as well as considering how Nero has become a symbol of evil in. We will examine texts from different literary genres, architecture, and different forms of iconography to re-examine history’s judgement on Nero and Neronian society and culture.
Reading List: S. Bartsch, Actors in the Audience. Theatricality & Doublespeak from Nero to Hadrian (Cambridge, Ma) 1994 E. Champlin, Nero (Cambridge, Ma) 2005 J. Elsner & J. Masters, eds. Reflections of Nero: Culture, History and Representation (Cambridge) 1994 M. Griffin, Nero: the End of a Dynasty (London) 1984 V. Rudich, Dissidence & Literature under Nero (London) 1997 E. Varner ed., From Caligula to Constantine. Tyranny and Transformation in Roman Portraiture (Atlanta) 2000
